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XTI Aircraft TriFan 600 VLCA (concept design)

XTI Aircraft TriFan 600 passenger hybrid-electric VTOL concept design aircraft, November 2023 version

 

TriFan 600 VLCA (concept design)
XTI Aircraft Company
Englewood, Colorado, USA
www.xtiaircraft.com
www.xti-inpx-merger.com

Founded in 2012 by David Brody in the USA, Brody's goal is to successfully make and sell conventional and hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) long-range planes for advanced air mobility (AAM) including both personal and commercial use aircraft. The goal of the company is to make air travel as efficient as possible, taking off and landing door to door, instead of airport to airport. To make air travel as fast as possible, as clean and sustainable as possible, and to increase the safety of air travel.

TriFan 600 passenger hybrid-electric VTOL VLCA concept design aircraft
The TriFan 600 is a hybrid-electric VTOL six or seven passenger Vertical Lift Crossover Airplane (VLCA) concept design aircraft. The TriFan 600 can takeoff and land conventionally using a runway or the aircraft can perform vertical takeoffs and landings. XTI Aircraft unveiled its TriFan 600 VTOL in August 2015 with a well-publicized equity crowdfunding (see “Industry Briefs,” Vertiflite, Nov/Dec 2015).

The fixed-wing airplane holds six or seven people including the pilot. The estimated cruise speed of the aircraft is 345 mph (555 km/h) and has a predicted maximum cruise altitude of 25,000 ft (7,620 m). The VTOL range is 700 miles (1,127 km) and the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) range is 850 miles (1,368 km). The range for the TriFan 600 is approximately twice that of most conventional helicopters.

The aircraft has three ducted fans used for VTOL flight and uses two ducted fans for forward flight. For VTOL flight, the aircraft uses all three ducted fans. When in forward flight, the two front ducted fans provide propulsion and the fuselage-mounted fan, no longer needed, has shutters that close over the ducted fan.

XTI 665 prototype

XTI 665 prototype

The aircraft has hybrid-electric powertrain using two turbine engines to generate electricity for all the aircraft's systems. As alternative power technology matures and becomes commercially viable, regulations are clearly defined and charging infrastructure developed, the Company intends to incorporate hybrid-electric and eventually all-electric propulsion in the TriFan 600. The tail is a high cruciform tail. The aircraft has tricycle wheeled retractable landing gear.

Ground and hover tests in 2019
In 2019, the company assembled and began ground tests and hover tests with its 65% scale proof of concept (POC) demonstrator aircraft at the Placerville Airport, California, USA. The first hover tests took place on May 2, 2019, followed by multiple successful controlled hovers. Based on test data, modifications were made to the proof of concept vehicle and it was then disassembled and transported to the Northrop Grumman private airport site (07UT) near Howell, Utah, USA in December 2019.Testing resumed after reassembly in early 2020 but further testing was severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and the decision was made to focus on XTI’s full-scale piloted prototype development instead.

 

TriFan 600 executive, commuter and medical interior (left to right)

TriFan 600 executive, commuter and medical interior (left to right)

August 4, 2022 article
On August 4, 2022, XTI Aircraft wrote an article titled, "Engineering Update – August 2022" highlighting several design changes include the forward fans being mounted to the fuselage, instead of the previous fan-in-wing mounted design. The rear fan is fixed and is used only for VTOL flight operations.

Intended markets
The company foresees selling to the existing turbine business aircraft and helicopter markets and the emerging advanced air mobility (AAM) market. The XTI Aircraft expects to conduct VTOL operations using existing infrastructure including over 5,000 helipads in the U.S. as well as landing in parking lots, driveways, job sites, grassy areas and remote locations as long as its safe to land and takeoff from the landing space.

XTI and  Inpixon merger
On July 25, 2023, Inpixon announced it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with XTI Aircraft Company. The enterprise value of XTI was ascertained by an independent financial advisory firm to be within the range of $252 million and $343 million USD. If completed, the merger will result in a combined publicly traded company that will focus on advancing the TriFan 600 VTOL aircraft to market, as well as continuing to offer Inpixon's real-time location systems technology to manufacturing and warehousing facilities for streamlined operations, greater efficiency and improved safety. The two company's merger portal is here online.

TriFan 600 takes off like a helicopter

TriFan 600 takes off like a helicopter

TriFan 600 flies fast and far like an airplane

TriFan 600 flies fast and far like an airplane

TriFan 600 technical specifications

TriFan 600 technical specifications

TriFan 600 concept design, top view, February 2021

TriFan 600 concept design, top view, February 2021

TriFan 600 concept design, top view, August 2022

TriFan 600 concept design, top view, August 2022

TriFan 600  on a landing pad

TriFan 600 on a landing pad

 

Specifications:

  • Aircraft type: Twin-turboshaft conventional power source passenger VTOL aircraft and in the future will be a hybrid-electric VTOL aircraft (when technology matures the aircraft's powertrain can be converted to use hydrogen fuel cells or 100% batteries)
  • Piloting: 1 pilot with fly-by-wire controls
  • Capacity: 6 or 7 people including the pilot
  • Maximum cruise speed: 345 mph (555 km/h)
  • Maximum cruise altitude: 25,000 ft (7,620 m)
  • VTOL maximum range: 700 miles (1,127 km)
  • Conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) range: 850 miles (1,368 km)
  • Empty weight: 3,500 lb (1,588 kg)
  • Vertical takeoff, useful load: 2,400 lb (1,089 kg)
  • Short takeoff, useful load: 2,800 lb (1,270 kg)
  • Maximum vertical takeoff weight: 5,300 lb (2,404 kg)
  • Maximum short takeoff weight: 6,300 lb (2,858 kg)
  • Propellers: 3 electric ducted fans
  • Electric Motors: 3 electric motors to power the ducted fans (there are other electric motors to turn the ducted fans and for the retractable landing gear)
  • Power source: 2 turbine engines (as technology matures, aircraft can be outfitted with hydrogen fuel cells and solid state batteries). The aircraft also has battery packs which are used as supplemental power during vertical flight and are recharged during flight.
  • Fuel capacity: 125 gallons (473 liters)
  • Wing span: 37.7 ft (11.5 m)
  • Length: 38.7 ft (11.8 m)
  • Ducted fan diameter: 5.9 ft (1.8 m)
  • Fuselage: Carbon fiber composite
  • Windows: Slightly larger windows than a conventional private luxury plane
  • Wings: 1 high main wing with winglets
  • Tail: 1 high cruciform tail
  • Landing gear: Retractable tricycle wheeled landing gear
  • Safety features. The aircraft can land conventionally on a runway or road, in the event of an emergency. The aircraft will be certified for IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) operations so it can fly in inclement weather, including known icing. The aircraft will also be equipped with advanced safety features such as sophisticated autopilot/computerized controls for takeoff and landing, collision avoidance technologies and state-of-the-art avionics.
  • These specifications are estimates and can change overtime

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